In the adsorptive purification of the gases, the adsorptive separation of gases and in the adsorptive recovery selectively of components from gases, it is known to provide an adsorber having two separated beds which are traversed in succession by the multicomponent gas stream for the selected removal of the two different components therefrom.
Examples of the removal of two components from a gas mixture include the treatment of moist air prior to separation of the air into the low-boiling components so as to remove water and carbon dioxide, the treatment of natural gas to remove water and higher hydrocarbons and other systems which, upon regeneration of the adsorber beds, produce one of the components, e.g. water in a liquid form, while the other component is discharged from its adsorber bed in a gaseous form.
After adsorption operation for a period sufficient to result in the saturation of one of these beds, the adsorber is regenerated, usually by the treatment of the beds in succession with a regenerating or adsorption gas. It is during this regeneration that one of the components is evolved in a liquid state or phase while the other component is evolved in a gaseous state or phase.
For efficient operation of the adsorber, it is imperative that not only the gaseous desorbed component be discharged completely, but also that the liquid component be removed to the greatest possible extent.
To this end, in German Patent Document--Open Application DE-OS No. 27 46 673, a substantially horizontal adsorber bed is provided which is traversed by the gas to be treated in a vertical direction and which rests upon a gas-permeable grate through which the liquid component upon regeneration can trickle.
An adsorber having horizontal beds of this type is found to have large amounts of free space which cannot effectively be utilized and to require considerable area in a plant where floor space may be at a premium. Furthermore, these adsorbers do not operate fully effectively, frequently cannot assure complete discharge of the liquid phase produced during regeneration and, with respect to their size, are comparatively expensive to construct and maintain.